Ginger Stitch Studio

He Moves Me

2008-02-26T16:04:00.002-05:00

On Monday, Mark was privileged enough to be able to attend the Barack Obama rally at the University of Cincinnati. Before I share his thoughts on the afternoon's events, let me just say that my husband continues to teach me everyday. After more than 11 years together, I am still learning new things about him, and being inspired my him. I love that we have that in our relationship. I love him.

Here are his thoughts on the afternoon...

Dear friends,

I have been, for the greater part of my life, willfully and stubbornly apolitical. Because, for most of my adult life, there has been something fundamentally wrong with my country and I didn't think it could be fixed. It wasn't the place I was taught it was supposed to be growing up. It certainly wasn't the place I knew it had the potential to become, but too few other people seemed to care (and the ones who did seemed to be the ones least capable of changing anything).

So I said to hell with it. I focused on what I called personal politics, the idea of trying to make some small difference in the lives of the people I knew, the people I came in contact with, the situations I found myself a part of. Because everything else was too big, too monolithic, too fundamentally flawed.

The old cliché holds that "scratch a cynic and you'll find a disillusioned idealist." I was 9 years old during the chaos of 1968, but I clearly remember the hope offered by Dr. King and Senator Kennedy and what it felt like to have it so cruelly and senselessly taken away. I saw the positive energy of the 60s disintegrate into the self-medicated retreat of the 70s, the greed of the 80s, the selfish disconnect of the 90s and the fear and paranoia of post-9/11 America.

Still, I could never shake the feeling that it didn't have to be this way. But I felt voiceless. No one spoke for me in the political arena. The ones who claimed to were always impostors. Politics was about our divisions, about our enemies, about our suspicions and our fears. No one was capable of uniting, of inspiring, of bringing people together.

But today I heard a politician say things I've been waiting forty years to hear. I sat in a crowd of 13,000 people; male, female, black, white, Hispanic, Christian, Muslim, atheist, straight, gay, old, middle-aged, young, veterans, union workers, people from all walks of life who agreed with me that not only is this country broken, but that together, we might actually be able to fix it.

It is not the politics of division. It is not the politics of fear. He calls it "the politics of hope", and for the first time in my adult life I am energized, I am excited. For the first time in my adult life, I actually believe that it may be possible to leave a better world for my children than the one I inherited from my parents.

But it feels like a crucial moment, one that must be seized, one that must be claimed. This country, this civilization, cannot survive on our current path. We have to cast off the blinders of selfish consumerism, the sure suicide of politics-as-usual, the us-against-them, the me-against-you.

I waited in line for over two hours in the cold today outside the venue. While waiting, I met a man a little younger than I, an army veteran who served in Kosovo and Afghanistan, a man who had never voted Democrat in his life, who told me that he felt the same, that this moment in time is critical, that there is a weight and a sense of history to this election that we ignore at our own peril. It was absolutely incredible.

Once inside, I heard these words:

"Some people think that things can't change; they want you to be cynical. But hope is not blind optimism. Hope is looking at things clear-eyed and saying that, despite the hardship, I am going to try to get things done."

I wonder how many more of me are out there. Not people waiting for a messiah figure. Not people waiting for some magic man, some slick orator to tell us what we want to hear, but disillusioned, dry, dispassionate observers who are one spark away from feeding a grass-roots brush fire. Hard-working, honest, good-hearted people who have not forgotten what this country once was or could be again, who wonder why this country seems to have forgotten about them.

Ohio friends, I urge you to investigate Barack Obama. I think when you study his platform, when you hear and read his words, you will agree that he is our country's best hope for fundamental change at this pivotal moment in history. Do not let this moment pass you by. Do not be afraid to hope. Do not be afraid to work for a better future for our country, ourselves, and our children.

Si se puede.

Yes, we can.

Finding time!

2008-02-20T14:40:00.004-05:00

Somehow I found time to create two pages in the past 48 hours. For some, two pages in 48 hours is not a lot; but for me, that is a HUGE accomplishment! With five children and a husband, plus the house & all its responsibilities, pulling me in so many directions, I rarely have time for my own personal passions. I will say that to get these pages done, I sacrificed doing laundry and dishes. There are still at least six loads of laundry in the basement needing my attention and last night's dinner dishes are still in the sink. Hey! Sometimes you just have to take time for yourself right?!?

Note: Lashes is a based on a Becky Fleck sketch as found here.

Great News!

2008-02-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, we had the good fortune of experiencing the midway ultrasound with this pregnancy. The great news is that baby is perfect!!! All parts are in the right place, with the right count, and at the right size for 21 weeks gestation. Even better, the baby has "boy parts"...that's right! We're having a boy!!! Mark is quietly ecstatic. The girls are overjoyed. Emma is so excited about this. Maggie is very nonchalant...she knew all along that this one was a boy. Nora is only 11 months old and couldn't care less. And well, Autumn is Autumn. She's nearly 18 and very busy with her life and happy that we're finally having a boy. Then she's on to her thing....as is normal. me...I'm just glad he's "perfect" with nothing wrong.

Now I just pray that my glitch works itself out in the next 12 weeks. I have a case of Complete Placenta Previa. Meaning that the placenta is blocking the cervix. If it doesn't move upward & away from it's currently position, I will have to deliver by C-section. I know that loads of women have this procedure, but anyone who knows me knows that I am the crazy lady who delivers babies drug-free the natural way. I have avoided the epidural needle like it was the plague. And now if this thing within doesn't relocate, I'll have to be sliced open for delivery. Not cool in my book. That's not evening thinking about the other complications that can occur with the placenta being where it is....bleeding & separation accompanied by bedrest if that should happen. How could I possibly be on bedrest with an active 9 year old, 4 year old, and infant in the house? So if you are the praying type, I could use a couple. Of course, the doctor has reassured me that in most cases, the placenta does change position by the final trimester, so perhaps my worries are pointless.

So that's been my week in a nutshell! Now to brave the cold to attempt some paper pushing up in the arctic scrap porch...

Playing Catch-Up

2008-01-30T16:20:00.000-05:00

Typical of most scrappers, I am still creating pages with this year's holiday photos. Funny thing is that I think I've done more with this year's photos than any previous year. I always seem to get so behind on these...that and the small fact that by the time the season is over, I am over the season!

This page features Emma & Maggie with Santa at the Krohn Conservatory.

If my memory is correct, this is the last Christmas photo that I have printed for scrap purposes.

A Quick Share

2008-01-27T21:29:00.000-05:00

I managed to whip out a fast page inspired by the Scrap4Life Scrap-Bowl Crop this weekend. I honestly meant to complete a lot more than I actually did, but weekend life in this big family can be a bit overwhelming.

The challenge was to complete a black & white layout using a color photo and silver or gold embellishments. My white is vanilla, but I think it passes muster.

Here she is....Miss Maggie when she was all of 2 years old. My how she has changed!

A New Favorite Place

2008-01-24T11:29:00.000-05:00

If you live anywhere near Cincinnati, Ohio you've got to know about this place! It has got to be a national treasure for anyone that loves textiles. If you don't live near Cincinnati, I'm sorry. Maybe it's time for a road trip. Or you could always order from their online site. But isn't it always more fun to fondle to products in real life!

Halloween in January?

2008-01-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

I'm a bit past due in creating Halloween pages, but when I received this paper a while back, then recently saw this photo again, I knew that the two were meant to be combined into one simple and very non-traditional Halloween page.

Don't you just love the looks on these kid's faces too? You can totally see Maggie's slyness here and Emma's impatience to get the show on the road.

Gotta love my girls!

It's Just a Thing

2008-01-18T15:57:00.000-05:00

but I have actually managed to complete two layouts in the past two days! The first one features a favorite photo of my happy little family (minus Autumn though) that was taken at Schappacher Farm this past Fall. The second one was one of those spontaneous Nora pictures from Christmas Eve. This second page was inspired a layout created by Layle Koncar of Scenic Route. I'm really lovin' Layle's style these days!!!

Here's hoping that I've got my creative groove back one. I know that I've definitely been in a better mood that past couple of days after having a chance to expend creative energy.

By the way, that little red birdie was a gift from my dear sweet friend Nikki in New Jersey. Isn't she the greatest?!?

A Forced Creation

2008-01-10T16:22:00.000-05:00

Did you every just have one of the days, weeks, or months when you felt the absolute need to create something but just didn't have the energy or time to get it done? That has been my situation since early November! This week, however, I kicked myself in the a$$ and got it done. I spent some of the weekend and then Tuesday morning cleaning up the mess in the scrap room. Of course, most of it was from Maggie & Emma. Bits of paper cuttings & felt, along with toys, markers, etc. were all over the floor & futon. My mess was all over the art table. Argh! I got it done though.

By Tuesday afternoon I was able to play with an old photo of Casey (from last winter) and push some paper around. I am fairly pleased with the end result. I did have fun playing with my Slick Writers creating different borders. I kinda like the sawtooth effect on the arrow.

Hopefully, this will jumpstart my action enough to get me back into the game. Keeping my fingers crossed.

In other arenas today, Maggie said a bad word - damn! - at lunch this afternoon. She managed to mess up something she was doing with her toys while I was preparing the midday meal and she just said it plan as day. I told her that it was a bad word. He response, "You mean like 'stupid' is a bad word?" LOL! I explained that it was a little worse than that. Kids are funny that way. By the way, she learned that one from her dad, not me.

Almost there...

2008-01-07T14:06:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it?!? Nora is scooting - doing the combat crawl - AND pulling herself up to a standing position on anything & everything that will hold her weight. I really think this super strong little girl of mine is going to skip crawling in the truest sense and jump right into walking...maybe running!!! Yikes! She really is something to behold.

Forever & A Day!!!

2007-12-31T16:51:00.001-05:00

It really has been that long since I've sat down to spend more than an iota of a moment at the computer. Between being pregnant, holidays, working part-time, running a household, and managing this family of six very individualistic people...well life has been a bit WHACKY!!!

But I did manage to upload photos from the camera today and even edit a couple to share.

Here they are...Emma & Maggie with Santa at Krohn Conservatory the Saturday before Christmas, and Nora giving me some cheese on Christmas Eve.

I really will try to be a bit more "responsible" with my future updates. Thanks you friends for being there as you always have been! Happy Christmas & New Year from me to all of you!!!

This Crazy THing I Call LIFE!

2007-11-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

First of all, I haven't forgotten about the tags. I will get to them...someday. But here's what's been happening.

Maggie broke her elbow.
Emma has Chicken Pox. She's one of 6 kids (as of today) in her class with it.
We're 8 weeks pregnant with a surprise gift from God!

How's that for distraction?!?

I did do a little Ali-inspired layout today that has been floating through my brain for the better part of the last week or so.

Life is certainly moving along quickly here! And it's only about to get busier!!!!

Scrap Green!

2007-10-18T22:37:00.000-04:00

I'm not referring to the color green.

Backtrack a moment...did you know that Monday was Blog Action Day? Well, it was. While reading Ali Edwards' blog on Tuesday I learned that small fact. It is now Thursday and I finally acted on her challenge to scrap green. I set up a small paper recycling station in my scrap room. This is so easy to do! Seriously, if you're going to throw that paper away, instead of putting it into the trash can, place it in a separate bin or brown bag for recycling. A bonus for me...Emma's school participates in a paper recycling program where the school earns dollars for paper placed in the designated dumpster. So not only am I helping the environment, I'm also helping my daughter's school raise education funds.

I highly encourage all of you to do what you can to scrap green! For more ideas on how you can scrap green, visit Ali's blog.

All that Glitters is Gold!

2007-10-16T13:23:00.000-04:00

Well, maybe not all the time, but it was definitely the case on this recent layout. Here's just a peek at it today. The title letters are actually Heidi Swapp ghost letters. In case you're wondering how I made the glitter stick, here's my trick:

~Paint the letter with a clear varnish.
~While the varnish is wet, dip the letter into a tray of glitter. I recommend using tweezers to hold the letter. That way you won't get quite so much of the sparkley stuff on your person.
~Set the letters aside to dry.
~When dry, apply a coat of clear varnish. This will act as a sealant/protectant.

The Layouts

2007-10-08T22:19:00.000-04:00

As promised, here are the complete layouts. The Scrap4Life newsletter was officially released this weekend, so I am now free to share. Both designs were based on Becky Fleck sketches, which can be found on her PageMaps website. I must say that I am absolutely in love with shaped pages right now! It's almost difficult for me to do a traditional square at this time.

Can't you just see the likeness between Maggie & Autumn? I never really noticed until recently just how much Mags resembles her biggest sister. Maybe that's because I wasn't here when Autumn was a wee scrap of a lass like my Miss Mag.

Peek-A-Boo

2007-10-03T12:04:00.000-04:00

As these are assignments for the Scrap4Life Design Team, I can't post them until after the newsletter is emailed, which should be within the next fews days. In the meantime, check out these blue eyes! Sometimes this little girl astounds me...well maybe it's most of the time! She sure is something special...

Beyond being very busy scrapping & getting work done for Scrap4Life, all is well. The new part time job (that I started a month ago) is really making a difference in out life. Amazing how that little bit of extra income can relieve so much stress! My duties with Emma's school (I'm on the PTO board) are in full swing as well, but not too much strain on the day-to-day life. And now Girl Scouts will be starting back up this months as well. Yup! I'm Emma's troop leader too. We're going on our third year together as a Troop. Somehow I have managed to bring these 12 girls from Brownie to Juniors. WOW! I really need to review the Junior handbook materials and get things ready for them to start back up.

A Sneak Peek!

2007-09-25T13:43:00.001-04:00

I did this very cool layout last night, but I can't share the whole thing as it's a DT assignment. I can show a glimpse though without breaking the rules completely...Seriously, I can't wait to share this one. Believe it or not, it's an Autumn (not the season, but my 17 year old daughter) page. Teens are a bit tricky to scrap, but I can say that she "approved" of this page. She chose the photo for me ages ago. Then when the page was complete last night, she gave it the official "it's cute" thumbs up.

Once Upon a Goth

2007-09-20T23:21:00.000-04:00

Some time ago while cleaning out a closet, I stumbled across these old pictures of Mark "back in the day" as he says. I tried to do some restoration with them, but I had limited tools. In then end, I reformatted them as black & white prints. This is the page I came up with. It's a simple design; one that focuses entirely on these photos.

I suppose it's now time for me to break out my old photos...

Pretty in Pink

2007-09-18T00:05:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not talking about the classic 80s Molly Ringwald movie directed by John Hughes. Rather, this is about a beautiful confection of pink fluff that my dear friend Susannicole sent to Nora. Here is Nora looking all sweet & pretty in her 6 month big girl pose.
This page is yet another Becky Fleck Round Map - I LOVE these!!! I highly encourage all who scrap to try a shaped layout. It really is envigorating :)

Slight Disappointment

2007-09-12T08:21:00.000-04:00

As many of my friends know, I did not get the call to the October Afternoon Design Team. I am OK with that fact. I am very proud of the work that I submitted to the company call. I need only look at my daughters (and in the mirror) to remind myself why I scrap. It's for them. It's for me. Their legacy. My creative outlet. Nothing more, nothing less.

And now it's Wednesday...Hump Day...a day to do laundry, go the the library for preschool story-time, a day to hit the grocery for the mid-week catch...a night to scrap!

Early September Scrap

2007-09-11T18:06:00.000-04:00

The September Design Team sponsor at Scrap4Life is Dream Street. Until this past month, I had never worked with this manufacturer. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen their product in my LSS. Anyhow, it has been a lot of fun playing with these fun new lines (released at Summer CHA in July).

Here are two pieces I've done to date...at least two that I am now allowed to share ;)

The first is obviously a layout. It is based on a sketch I created (with the help of Autumn). The sketch drew its roots from an elementary Venn Diagram. This particular layout focuses on Emma & Maggie's room before & after we cleaned it. It was very very messy!

The second item is an altered door sign I made for Miss Maggie. It was very simple (& inexpensive too) with wood craft products purchased from Michaels. I'm very happy with this end result...and so is Maggie!

Patriot's Day

2007-09-11T13:27:00.000-04:00

Today is set aside as Patriot's Day. The day that our country officially remembers and mourns those innocent lives lost and affected by the tragedies of this day six years ago.

It is only right that we take a moment in silence and prayer to remember those people...then hug those closest to us.

It was a MONDAY!!!

2007-08-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

and it sure felt like it!!! Autumn went back to school today - as a senior. Holy cow! How did that happen? Anyhow, it seems that we have to get her a couple of new uniform skirts after all...the ones she has are too small and she can't button them. If she is caught doing the rolled waist, she will receive conduct points and potentially Saturday school. Guess I get to go to the uniform store tomorrow.

Emma returns tomorrow for her first day as a fourth grader. We were smart enough to have her try her skirts on a couple of weeks ago. We had to buy new ones - go figure!

Anyhow, back to my Monday of laundry, dishwasher loading, meal prep, childcare, and cleaning the bedroom of my 4 year old & 9 year old. It took us three hours, but it's finally done!!! OMGoodness! It was awful! There was a 3 foot walkway through the room to the beds & dressers and that was about it. The rest of the space was full of Barbies, dollhouse, webkinz, coloring books, story books, markers & crayons. They must get it from their dad's side of the family - certainly not from me. Being the scrap-mom that I am, I took before & after photos for a layout. Yep! I really did that. Look for it soon. The sketch based design is due to S4L by September 1. I think it will be called "A Girls' Room: Before & After (The Great Cleanup of August 2007)" or something like that.

Back to the grind....

A PeaK & A Pic

2007-08-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

I really did it!!! I submitted to the October Afternoon DT Call. Saying a hopeful prayer that I will be taken notice of (in a good way). I did have a lot of fun creating items for this call too. I made a mobile for the girls...bluebirds. Also cranked out one the best layouts evah!!! I really am proud of this Nora page. For the record, it is based on a Becky Fleck sketch. She absolutely RAWKS!!! The sketch can be found here.... The one I used is toward the bottom of the page - the published LO is from Marla Kress. Of course, I did take some liberties, but isn't that how the creative machine works?

If you're wondering, the mobile was created with wood embroidery hoops for the structure, a polyfill cloud covered in "pixie dust" (white glitter), ribbon, and recycled chipboard for the birds (my own design). Right now it's hanging for the antique copper light fixture on my scrap "porch", but it will eventually move into Emma & Maggie's room. Maggie now wants me to make some butterflies for the wall next to her bed....

And here's a photo I snapped of Nora early this morning (around 7:30 AM). The morning light was just perfect...I couldn't resist. Somehow, I even managed to get some smiles out of her! It's hard to believe that she's almost 6 months old. Where has the time gone, Nora Mae?

IT'S FRIDAY!!!

2007-08-24T23:41:00.000-04:00

How did that happen?!? This surely has been one of those weeks. First, I decided to go for it with a manufacturer DT call. I need to put the final touches on my BIG project tomorrow morning, photograph it, touch up the digi file, then get everything emailed off before midnight their time. YIKES! It is overwhelming.

This was the girl's last week of summer break too. Hard to believe that Autumn will be a senior. My baby Emma will be in 4th grade. Maggie will be 4 years old in just a few short weeks. Time has flown by!!! So many memories...so much to scrap...so little time...

I am happy that they are returning to school though. Maggie & Nora will be with me during the day as always, but I hope to get our "routine" back. We'll be doing our toddler story time at the library again...preschool workbooks for Mag too...it will be so much fun.

Tomorrow or perhaps Monday, I find out if I got the part time job at the local market. I think it's in the bag (hah!) as they called me in for a second interview tonight. All went very well. It was very short & sweet...seemed to be part of their due process for hiring. I'll find out soon enough.

Emma starts riding lessons in just two weeks. She's counting the moments till the day arrives. She has found her passion! Just look at her... Have you ever seen a little girl so in love with a horse?! BONUS...she gets to help our friends out with their horses at the boarding stable again tomorrow afternoon. What I wouldn't give for her youthful exuberance...

New Layouts

2007-08-20T22:27:00.000-04:00

I am so pleased with how these pages turned out - especially the page with Nora! Both of these were completed as part of my assignments at Scrap4Life this month. Once again, I can't say how much fun it was to work with the new 3Bugs collections. Not to mention the pleasure it was to play with my new Crop-o-Dile and stretch myself to use my tools for a change - used my corner rounder punch (along with the CoD) to create the punched scallops. Even pulled out my old photo corner punch for that embellishment too....and the polka dots on the "Sisters" page - those were made with a pencil eraser dipped in white paint!!! I'm all for scrapping on a budget ;)

Now I have a huge decision to make...and I can't reach my conscience to pick her brain! Jodie sent me information today for a new manu DT chance. Do I audition or stay in the wings? What to do!!! I love the product of this fledgling company and it would be so exciting to get in on the ground floor, but am I ready with 4 daughters in the house - the oldest getting ready to start her Senior year in High School, and the baby at just 5 months old. I going to have to really think this one over. And I'm not going to say the name of the company in fear that I might jinx myself if I decide to go for it!!!

A New Color Scheme

2007-08-19T21:44:00.000-04:00

I've been playing around with different color schemes on this thing & think I've finally found one that I like! What do y'all think of the pink? Be brutally honest now. I want to hear the truth! I may have to live with it for a few days to get a real impression of it all. Then again, if someone suggests something else that they think just screams me, I might go with it.

Early August Scrap

2007-08-18T00:19:00.000-04:00

In August, the S4L DT had the privilege of working with 3 Bugs in a Rug latest collections released at Summer CHA. I received the Cotton Shop and Back Porch collections. Here are two of the pages I have created (that I am allowed to share at this time).

I just love the expressions on Maggie's face in the "Back Yard Swim" page! She really is quite the photo-hog!!!

A Promotion of Sorts

2007-08-17T23:27:00.000-04:00

As many know, I have been on the Scrap4Life DT for almost 18 months now. Well...this past week, Jodie (the site owner) contacted me to inquire as to if I would be interested in being a Co-Coordinator for the Team. I am so honored to say that I have accepted this additional responsibility. I really look forward to pushing myself to drive her site ever forward. My additional responsibilities will include maintaining the S4L Blog. YIKES! I suppose I really should get this whole bloggin' business figured out so I don't muck it up!